Elionurus citreus

Elionurus citreus (R.Br.) Munro ex
Benth. Fl. Austral. 7: 510 (1878).

Classification. (GPWG 2001) : Subfamily
Panicoideae. Micraireae.

Basionym and/or
Replacement Name:
 Andropogon
citreus
R. Br., Prodr. .

Type of Basionym or
Protologue Information
: "(T.) Littora novae Hollandiae intra
tropicum.", Brown 6176 (HT: BM).

Key references
(books and floras):
[1810]. R.Brown, Prodromus (203 as Andropogon
citreus
), [1878] G.Bentham, Flora Australiensis 7 (510), [1969]
E.E.Henty, Manual Grasses New Guinea (88 as Elyonurus),
[2002] D.Sharp & B.K.Simon, AusGrass, Grasses of Australia, [2008] S.W.L.Jacobs,
R.D.B.Walley & D.J.B.Wheeler, Grasses of New South Wales (236).

Illustrations:
[2008] S.W.L.Jacobs, R.D.B.Whalley & D.J.B.Wheeler, Grasses of New South
Wales
, 4th edn (236).

Habit.
Perennial. Culms erect, 50–100 cm tall. Mid-culm nodes glabrous. Lateral
branches sparsely branched or branched. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths
glabrous on surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs, 1 mm long. Leaf-blades flexuous,
20–40 cm long, 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.

Inflorescence.
Inflorescence compound, a panicle of racemes. Racemes 1–6, 3–12 cm long.
Rhachis fragile at the nodes.

Spikelets.
Spikelets sessile, 1 in the cluster. Companion spikelets pedicelled, 1 in the
cluster. Companion spikelets represented by two glumes, comprising 2 subequal
glumes without lemmas, asymmetrical, 8–11 mm long. Companion spikelet glumes
muticous. Fertile spikelets 2-flowered, the lower floret barren (rarely male),
the upper fertile, comprising 1 basal sterile florets, comprising 1 fertile
floret(s), without rachilla extension, lanceolate or oblong, dorsally
compressed, 10–14 mm long.

Glumes. Glumes
dissimilar, firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate, chartaceous or
coriaceous, keeled, 2-keeled, 9 -nerved. Upper glume ovate, 5–8 mm long,
membranous, keeled, 1-keeled, 3 -nerved. Upper glume surface indumented. Florets.
Basal sterile florets 1, barren, without significant palea. Lemma of lower
sterile floret hyaline, 0 -nerved.

Fertile lemma 3–5 mm
long, without keel, 0 -nerved. Palea absent. Anthers 3. Grain 3 mm long.

Continental
Distribution
: Tropical Asia and Australasia.

Australian
Distribution
: Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, New South
Wales.

Western Australia:
Dampier. Northern Territory: Darwin & Gulf. Queensland:
Burke, Cook, Leichhardt, Moreton, North Kennedy, Port Curtis, South Kennedy,
Wide Bay. New South Wales: North Coast.

Notes.
From subtropical N.S.W. to tropical W.A., extending to New Guinea. Locally
abundant in sandy soil along rivers and in coastal areas and sand dunes. Gives
a lemon scent when crushed. Flowers Dec.--Oct.

 

AVH 2011

                     

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith